The present invention generally relates to a sand rake, and, particularly, to a sand rake for grooming bunkers on a golf course.
A large majority of golf courses include bunkers of sand that are strategically placed along selected holes of the course in order to provide additional challenges to the golfer. To ensure that the play out of a bunker is fairly consistent, the sand in the bunker should be somewhat firm, although not compacted, and should have a uniform surface without substantial mounds or depressions within the sand. However, when a golf ball lands in a bunker, the golfer must necessarily enter the bunker and disturb the sand with footprints and the golf swing (or swings), causing compacting of the sand and the creation of mounds and depressions. Additionally, certain weather conditions, particularly rain, can compromise the desired quality of the sand within the bunker. Leaves and other debris settling within the bunker is undesirable as well because they may compromise the lie of the ball. Thus, bunkers need to be constantly maintenanced.
Bunkers are typically maintained by raking the sand. Bunker rakes of the prior art are, quite simply, a plurality of tines extending from a head portion that is attached to a handle for pulling the tines across the sand. These tines dig into the sand and break-up any compacted sand and help smooth out mounds and depressions. The tines are placed relatively far apart (on the order of about an inch or more) and, thus, while they do serve to provide the bunker with a substantially uniform surface, they will typically leave ridges in the sand. Also, while a golfer may be able to rake out larger debris, such as large twigs and leaves, the common rake does not specifically provide a means for removing debris, especially debris of smaller dimensions.
At most golf courses, the sand rake is simply laid on the ground near the bunker, from where it may be retrieved, by a golfer, for the purpose of maintaining the bunker. However, in this position, there is a chance that a golf ball approaching the bunker would hit the sand rake and have its true trajectory altered. It is believed that the prior art has never addressed this issue.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a sand rake that can provide a substantially uniform surface within a bunker, without substantial ridges. There is also a need for a sand rake that can remove debris from the bunker, during the raking operation. Finally, there exist a need in the art for a sand rake that can be stored near a bunker in such a manner that substantially lessens the likelihood that a golf ball will hit the sand rake as it approaches the hole.
In general, the present invention provides a sand rake that includes a head portion, a tine assembly, and a brush. The head portion has a lead edge and a drag edge. The tine assembly includes a plurality of tines that extend downwardly from the head portion proximate the lead edge. The brush extends downwardly from the head portion proximate the drag edge, and is in substantial alignment with the tine assembly. The tine assembly serves to break-up and aerate the sand, while the brush serves to smooth out the sand, particularly, the ridges created by the tine assembly.
In a more particular embodiment, the sand rake includes a debris assembly that serves to pick-up debris off of the sand during a raking operation. This debris assembly is positioned between the tine assembly and the brush. In particular embodiments, the debris assembly will include an entanglement material, such as textile materials with cut-pile surfaces, as, for example, synthetic turf materials like AstroTurf(trademark) (Southwest Recreational Industries, Inc., Texas) and Dirt Buster(trademark) (Solutia Inc., Missouri). In some embodiments, the head portion may be attached to a handle that extends from the head portion at an acute angle in the direction of the lead edge. In other embodiments, the head portion may be adapted to fit onto industrial mobile sand groomers.
In more particular embodiments, the tine assembly of the sand rake includes two rows of tines, a stationary row and an adjustable row. Each row includes a plurality of tines that are spaced apart by a set distance, and the adjustable row of tines may be moved from a wide-tine position, wherein the tines of the adjustable row lie in registration with the tines of the stationary row, to a close-tine position, wherein the tines of the adjustable row lie between the tines of the stationary row. This potential for adjustment of the tine assembly is beneficial in that different tine spacings will be necessary to sufficiently break-up and aerate different types of sand. In further embodiments, the sand rake may also include spacers that connect between the tine assembly and the head portion in order to allow for adjustment of the depth of the downward extension of the plurality of tines.
Thus, in yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a sand rake for grooming sand comprising a head portion having a lead edge and a drag edge; a handle extending from the head portion at an acute angle in the direction of the lead edge; a tine assembly having a plurality of tines and extending downwardly from the head portion proximate the lead edge, wherein the spacing between adjacent tines is adjustable and the depth to which the plurality of tines extends downwardly from the head portion is adjustable, the tine assembly serving to break-up and aerate sand; a brush extending downwardly from the head portion proximate the drag edge and in substantial alignment with the tine assembly, the brush serving to smooth out sand; and an entanglement material position between the tine assembly and the brush, and serving to remove debris from sand.
Finally, the present invention also provides for a rake receptacle in combination with a sand rake. The rake receptacle has a beveled surface, which, in this embodiment, mates with a beveled end of the handle of a sand rake. When the sand rake is placed within the rake receptacle, the head portion of the sand rake is aligned in a desired position.